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Learning from Journal Articles

CHAPTER 1 WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHAT WE KNOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING
CHAPTER 2: CONFLUENT FORCES AND DIFFERNTIATED ISNTRUCTION
CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPING THE LESSON METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER 4: CLASSROOM ORGANIZTION AND MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 5: CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
CHAPTER 6: DIRECT INSTRUCTION
CHAPTER 7: MASTERY LEARNING
CHAPTER 8: COPERATIVE LEARNING
CHAPTER 9: ROLE PLAY
CHAPTER 10: NONDIRECTIVE LEARNING
CHAPTER 11: SELF-TAUGHT LEARNING
CHAPTER 12: THINKING PATTERNS
CHAPTER 13: MEMORIZATION
CHAPTER 14: ATTAINING CONCEPTS
CHAPTER 15: INQUIRY

CHAPTER 1 WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHAT WE KNOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING

Focus Question: What does the research say about the type of chemicals that are most harmful to the body?

Michelle I. Scott
Briefly Noted Review: The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
J Hum Lact, Nov 2001; 17: 356.

Link to Journal Site: http://jhl.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What is the difference between cognitive science in the USA and France?

Brigitte Chamak
The Emergence of Cognitive Science in France: A Comparison with the USA
Social Studies of Science, Oct 1999; 29: 643 - 684.

Abstract: A comparison between the development of cognitive science in France and the USA enables us to analyze some national differences linked to specific connections between the scientific, military, economic and political worlds. The influence of new practices and tools developed during World War II and the Cold War appears to be of crucial importance in understanding the development of this new field, as well as that of cybernetics, computer science, artificial intelligence and molecular biology. This paper can be considered as a study in how the differing contexts in France and the USA shaped the history of the construction of cognitive science in each of these two countries. In spite of various differences, some common aspects may be pointed out: in both cases, computer experts and psychologists using a computational modelling approach were those first engaged in the construction of cognitive science. If in France neuroscience-oriented cognitive science research was stronger than in the USA, it seems that the artificial intelligence orientation is also of growing importance in France.

Link to Journal Site: http://sss.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: One of the trends in education is the idea of a learning community. What are the beneficial outcomes in schools that are organized around learning communities?

Sandra Schmidt Bunkers
Learning in Community: Family as Teacher
Nurs Sci Q, Oct 2000; 13: 299.

Link to Journal Site: http://nsq.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: List three ways that this author suggest how teacher education must change?

Otherine Johnson Neisler
How Does Teacher Education Need to Change to Meet the Needs Of America's Schools at the Start of the 21st Century?
Journal of Teacher Education, May 2000; 51: 248 - 255.

Link to Journal Site: http://jte.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 2: CONFLUENT FORCES AND DIFFERNTIATED ISNTRUCTION

Focus Question: What are the political influences on school desegregation?

Carolyn Talbert-Johnson
The Political Context of School Desegregation: Equity, School Improvement, and Accountability
Education and Urban Society, Nov 2000; 33: 8 - 16.

Link to Journal Site: http://eus.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Why do you believe that these authors grouped these issues together? Explain what the impact is of these issues to racial desegregation?

Loretta F. Meeks, Wendell A. Meeks, and Claudia A. Warren
Racial Desegregation: Magnet Schools, Vouchers, Privatization, and Home Schooling
Education and Urban Society, Nov 2000; 33: 88 - 101.

Link to Journal Site: http://eus.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Name a black educator who has influenced policy in American Education related to race? What contributions did this person make?

Jerome E. Morris
Forgotten Voices of Black Educators: Critical Race Perspectives on the Implementation of a Desegregation Plan
Educational Policy, Sep 2001; 15: 575 - 600.

Abstract: The conceptualization and implementation of desegregation educational policies are incomplete when they ignore the voices of Black educators . Through in-depth interviews with 21 African American educators in St. Louis, this article highlights how elements of what is being defined today as critical race theory (CRT) were embedded in these educators ' analyses of a 1983 court settlement that resulted in a 16-year desegregation plan. Through rich and detailed accounts, these educators illustrate how the desegregation plan ultimately protected the overall interests of whites. Their analyses of the plan—seemingly pessimistic—were realistic. The ending of the plan in 1999 continued to place the onus on Black people to rectify the inequitable education in the city. Suggested is the need for courts and policy makers to begin listening to the voices of African American educators when framing educational policies' intent on improving the education of African American students.

Link to Journal Site: http://epx.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How are diverse classrooms influenced by location? How is teaching in a diverse classroom different?

Christine M. Kerfoot
Book Review: Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey Of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms
Education and Urban Society, May 2005; 37: 356 - 360.

Link to Journal Site: http://eus.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How do teachers overcome the problems with parent involvement? How can schools balance the power of parental involvement?

Daniel J. McGrath and Peter J. Kuriloff
"They're Going to Tear the Doors Off This Place": Upper-Middle-Class Parent School Involvement and the Educational Opportunities of Other People's Children
Educational Policy, Nov 1999; 13: 603 - 629.

Abstract: This study explores social class and racial differences in parents' school involvement. Furthermore, it examines involved parents' intentions concerning school. Data are from a yearlong observation of parent-educa to r relations at a suburban school district in the northeastern United States. Highly involved parents tended to be White, upper-middle-class mothers. This happened, in part, because involved mothers frequently acted in ways that excluded other mothers, particularly African Americans. Involved mothers pressed administra to rs for additional tracking. This was a strategy for separating their children from lower status children and positioning their children for higher education. We discuss implications for school policy.

Link to Journal Site: http://epx.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Name three advantages of the No Child Left Behind legislation?

Marilyn Cochran-Smith
No Child Left Behind: 3 Years and Counting
Journal of Teacher Education, Mar 2005; 56: 99 - 103.

Link to Journal Site: http://jte.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How do state accountability systems influence children of color from low income homes?

Edward J. Fuller and Joseph F. Johnson, Jr
Can State Accountability Systems Drive Improvements in School Performance for Children of Color and Children from Low-Income Homes?
Education and Urban Society, May 2001; 33: 260 - 283.

Link to Journal Site: http://eus.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPING THE LESSON METHODOLOGY

Focus Question: Compare and contrast time periods to school instruction? For example, some schools have gone to block scheduling and extended periods of time for instruction. What are the potential outcomes to these changes?

Gad Yair
Not Just About Time: Instructional Practices and Productive Time in School
Educational Administration Quarterly, Oct 2000; 36: 485 - 512.

Abstract: Student learning is a pervading concern for national governments, states, and local school boards. Additional time is commonly seen as a potent administrative lever to affect student learning. One administrative premise equates allocated time with productive time , assuming that students take advantage of the time resources available to them. This study uses an innovative measurement strategy to show that students are disengaged a large portion of the time in academic classes, and that the current array of instructional methods and strategies produces low rates of productive time , especially for minority students. The study concludes that instructional reforms rather than the simple addition of time may be more productive in raising standards and in bringing about greater social equality in education.

Link to Journal Site: http://eaq.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 4: CLASSROOM ORGANIZTION AND MANAGEMENT

Focus Question: What does this author say about effective supply, classroom discipline and colleague support? How do school implementation programs assist new teachers with behavior management?

Geoff Tennant
Book Review: Effective Supply Teaching: Behaviour Management, Classroom Discipline and Colleague Support
Emotional Behavioural Difficulties, Sep 2004; 9: 209 - 211.

Link to Journal Site: http://ebd.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Compare and contrast the freedom of teachers to discipline students in Australia with the United States? For example, are teachers allowed to use corporal punishment in Australia?

Terry De Jong
A Framework of Principles and Best Practice for Managing Student Behaviour in the Australian Education Context
School Psychology International, Aug 2005; 26: 353 - 370.

Abstract: Public opinion over the past 30 years consistently rates lack of discipline in public schools in the USA to be the biggest problem communities have to contend with (Charles, 1999). Similar concerns are apparent in Australia. The issue of student behaviour was raised at the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) in 2002. The Council recognized that behavioural problems were both ongoing and growing and were of major concern nationally. Consequently, the Student Behaviour Management Project was established. This article briefly describes the aim, research process and outcome of this project. It reports on the core principles and key characteristics of best practice that were identified and the predominant models and approaches of student behaviour management that appear to inform best practice across Australia. Of what relevance is this project to school psychology? The effective management of student behaviour is arguably the business of school psychology practice in many countries around the world. This article is intended to contribute to international perspectives and debate on contemporary theories, principles and best practice associated with the effective management of student behaviour.

Link to Journal Site: http://spi.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What kind of record keeping to school offices complete on discipline problems? How is this data used by the school?

Robert F. Putnam, James K. Luiselli, Marcie W. Handler, and Gretchen L. Jefferson
Evaluating Student Discipline Practices in a Public School Through Behavioral Assessment of Office Referrals
Behav Modif, Sep 2003; 27: 505 - 523.

Abstract: Office discipline referrals are a common practice in public schools to address students' problem behaviors. The authors report two descriptive studies in a public elementary-middle school to illustrate frequency of office referrals as an evaluative data source. Study I was a behavioral assessment of office referrals to determine the types of discipline problems confronting school personnel and the distribution of referrals among teachers, students, and grade level. In Study II, a fifth-grade class that had the most office referrals in the school received whole-class and individual-student interventions that produced a decrease in the number of referrals. These findings support use of office referrals as a readily available index by which to identify school discipline problems, design interventions, and evaluate outcome.

Link to Journal Site: http://bmo.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 5: CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Focus Question: How has the internet impacted citation and referencing?

Brian Nienhaus
Helping Students Improve Citation Performance
Business Communication Quarterly, Sep 2004; 67: 337 - 348.

Link to Journal Site: http://bcq.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: The principal is the educational leader in the school. How has the age of accountability changed the role of the principal in Virginia schools?

Rose Ylimaki
Book Review: Educational Leadership in an Age of Accountability: The Virginia Experience
Urban Education, Nov 2004; 39: 658 - 666.

Link to Journal Site: http://uex.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What does this research say about the correlation between teachers and expected grades?

Richard John Stapleton and Gene Murkison
Optimizing the Fairness of Student Evaluations: A Study of Correlations Between Instructor Excellence, Study Production, Learning Production, and Expected Grades
Journal of Management Education, Jun 2001; 25: 269 - 291.

Link to Journal Site: http://jme.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How does the influence of high stakes testing change instructional practices?

Rosemary E. Sutton
Teaching under High-Stakes Testing: Dilemmas and Decisions of a Teacher Educator

Journal of Teacher Education, Nov 2004; 55: 463 - 475.

Abstract: In this article, the author reports on the curricular changes and testing focus that have occurred in her teaching since PRAXIS II: Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests were mandated in Ohio, where she teaches at an urban, open admissions, commuter university. Classroom dilemmas are analyzed as they relate to changes in assessments, curriculum content, and instructional strategies when teaching educational psychology to preservice teachers. The benefits and costs of the increased importance of educational psychology in the teacher education program and the advantages and disadvantages of trying to ensure that the students do well on someone else's examination are also discussed. The author's experiences are compared with published reports on teachers' reactions to high-stakes testing, and the author considers how the context in which she teaches and her personal teaching biography influenced her decisions.

Link to Journal Site: http://jte.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 6: DIRECT INSTRUCTION

Focus Question: What is the potential influence of direct instruction as a potential educational reform?

Edward P. St. John, Genevieve Manset-Williamson, Choong-Geun Chung, and Robert S. Michael

Assessing the Rationales for Educational Reforms: An Examination of Policy Claims About Professional Development, Comprehensive Reform, and Direct Instruction

Educational Administration Quarterly, Aug 2005; 41: 480 - 519.

Abstract: Evaluation studies seldom examine whether the rationales used to argue for an educational reform actually hold up when empirical evidence is examined after the reform has been implemented. This article examines survey data from 3 years of analyses of early reading interventions to examine three rationales that were used to argue for the program. First, there was evidence to support the argument that teachers need time to collaborate about improving educational outcomes. This study found that 2 years of funding for early reading reforms provided a margin of difference for collaborative efforts among teachers to promote reading-related outcomes. Second, the argument that comprehensive reform strategies promote gains in student outcomes was also supported, but not all reform models had their intended effects. Finally, there was no evidence from this study that the direct/explicit approach to reading instruction improved student outcomes, although this claim merits more systematic study in the future.

Link to Journal Site: http://eaq.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 7: MASTERY LEARNING

Focus Question: How does educational programming and technology impact mastery learning?

Norman Jackson
Programme specification and its role in promoting an outcomes model of learning
Active Learning in Higher Education, Nov 2000; 1: 132 - 151.

Abstract: Programme specifications will have an important influence on academic practice in UK higher education. They will provide concise summary descriptions of the educational learning outcomes of programmes. They are intended to promote and support a systematic process of critical reflection on the curriculum and the means by which the desired outcomes are achieved and demonstrated. They will provide a foundation for the public assurance of academic standards in universities and colleges and will provide the initial point of contact between an institution's evaluative and assurance processes and the new peer review process of academic review. They will show how programmes and awards relate to the HE qualifications framework now being developed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. This article tries to explain some of the thinking that underlies policy so that those responsible for implementing it will have a better understanding of what it is trying to do and why it has been shaped in the way it has.

Link to Journal Site: http://alh.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 8: COPERATIVE LEARNING

Focus question: What is the relationship of cooperative learning and the teaching of social skills?

Julie I. Siciliano
How to Incorporate Cooperative Learning Principles in the Classroom: It's More Than Just Putting Students in Teams
Journal of Management Education, Feb 2001; 25: 8 - 20.

Abstract: This article describes how to structure team assignments using a cooperative learning framework. With examples from a classroom situation, it provides techniques for creating an environment where teams achieve mutual goals and group rewards and where members are responsible for doing their share of the work and for mastery of the material to be learned.

Link to Journal Site: http://jme.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 9: ROLE PLAY

Focus Question: This author identifies his relationship with the use of gaming and the evolution of change. What areas does he specifically address as changes?

Richard D. Duke
A personal perspective on the evolution of gaming
Simulation Gaming, Mar 2000; 31: 79 - 85.

Abstract: This article presents a quick sketch of the author's experiences with gaming. For more than four decades, he has had the opportunity to do gaming as a more or less full-time occupation. There has been a learning curve, slow but sure, as a consequence of working on more than 100 gaming exercises. Because these experiences were typically team efforts, the author has worked in close contact with many fine gamers over the years and has benefited a great deal from these contacts. Given that the teams averaged three to five people each, it is clearly not possible for the author to mention all of those with whom he has worked. A few projects are described briefly and the team members acknowledged.

Link to Journal Site: http://sag.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Describe in detail the internet game featured in this article? How does the game involve collaboration with other users?

Henny Leemkuil, Ton de Jong, Robert de Hoog, and Noor Christoph
KM QUEST: A collaborative Internet-based simulation game
Simulation Gaming, Mar 2003; 34: 89 - 111.

Abstract: In this article, the development of a collaborative Internet-based simulation game for learning to solve knowledge management problems is described. The simulation game builds on two starting points: first, on psychological and pedagogical developments in learning and instruction, which are based on a shift from instructivistic toward constructivistic approaches; and second, on a perceived need for better training of people working in the emerging field of knowledge management. After having described these starting points in the introduction, the choice for using a simulation game is clarified and a set of assumptions that have been used to develop a simulation game are described. The resulting simulation game is described in the second part of this article together with the elements that have been implemented to support communication and collaboration at a distance, as well as those to support the learning process. The article ends with a summary of the results of the formative evaluation of the first prototype. The issue of collaboration via the Internet is a particular focus of discussion.

Link to Journal Site: http://sag.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 10: NONDIRECTIVE LEARNING

Focus Question: What aspects of Carl Rogers are mentioned or described in this article regarding family counseling? Compare and contrast the client center model with the family counseling model.

Linda L. Terry
Family Counseling in the Schools: A Graduate Course
The Family Journal, Oct 2002; 10: 419 - 428.

Abstract: The literature describes a wide array of projects and approaches forapplying family systems theory and practice in school settings. However,to date, no articles describe coursework to prepare students forthis work. This article describes a one semester-unit course, entitled"Family Counseling in the Schools" to complement other training infamily systems counseling for students interested in family-schoolintervention. The article links literature on changes in the cultures ofthe social institutions of schools, families, and family counselingwith the systemic conceptual framework that underpins the course.The description of the course focuses on (a) objectives, (b) contentand learning process activities, (c) homework assignments, and (d)student responses to the course.

Link to Journal Site: http://tfj.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How has client centered psychotherapy dealt with the issue of homosexuality? Over a sixty year period what changes can be noted regarding the treatment of LGBT Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transsexual?

Germain Lietaer
Sixty Years of Client-Centered/Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling: Bibliographical Survey of Books 1940-2000
Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Apr 2002; 42: 97 - 131.

Link to Journal Site: http://jhp.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 11: SELF-TAUGHT LEARNING

Focus Questions: How do high school students self report self concept issues?

Paul C. Burnett, Hitendra Pillay, and Barry C. Dart
The Influences of Conceptions of Learning and Learner Self-Concept on High School Students' Approaches to Learning
School Psychology International, Feb 2003; 24: 54 - 66.

Abstract: This study investigated the mediating effect of learner self-concept between conceptions of learning and students' approaches to learning using structural equation modelling. Data were collected using a modified version of Biggs' Learning Process Questionnaire, together with the recently developed 'What is Learning Survey' and 'Learner Self-Concept Scale'. A sample of 355 high school students participated in the study. Results indicate that learner self-concept does mediate between conceptions of meaning and approaches to learning. Students who adopted a deep approach liked learning new things and indirectly viewed learning as experiential, involving social interaction and directly viewed learning as personal development. Implications for teachers are discussed, with consideration given to appropriate classroom practice.

Link to Journal Site: http://spi.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How does the display of student art in the classroom influence the behavior of elementary grade school children?

Jennifer Platten Killeen, Gary W. Evans, and Sheila Danko
The Role Of Permanent Student Artwork In Students' Sense Of Ownership In An Elementary School
Environment and Behavior, Mar 2003; 35: 250 - 263.

Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine if the physical design of learning environments can foster a sense of student ownership in the learning process. Accommodation of permanent student artwork to school interior spaces may enhance student ownership. Sense of ownership incorporates personalization, sense of control, territoriality, and involvement. The authors uncover a significant association between school design and students' sense of ownership. Furthermore, within a school incorporating permanent artwork, the stronger students' perceptions are that their artwork can be permanently displayed, the greater their sense of ownership is.

Link to Journal Site: http://eab.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development issues impact learning? How do these elements change for students who are between the ages of 10-14.?

Knud Illeris
Learning,Identity and Self-orientation in Youth
Young, Nov 2003; 11: 357 - 376.

Abstract: The aim of this article is to describe what is significant for youth learning in late modern society, as seen in relation to learning in childhood and in adulthood.It starts by outlining a modern understanding and theory of learning as comprising a cognitive, an emotional and a social/societal dimension. On this basis it is pointed out that what especially characterizes learning in youth is that it is always connected to and marked by the process of identity development. However, the concept of identity has also undergone profound changes in late modernity. Therefore the article concludes by suggesting the term ‘self-orientation' as the central concept of contemporary youth learning processes.

Link to Journal Site: http://you.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How does this author define self-directed learning? Why is it that some learners are self-directed and others are not?

Joshua M. Pearce
The Use of Self-Directed Learning to Promote Active Citizenship in Science, Technology, and Society Classes
Bulletin of Science Technology Society, Aug 2001; 21: 312 - 321.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to outline the viability of a student-directed assignment within collegiate-level STS curricula for the improvement of the utilization of scientific knowledge and technology in society. The assignment, christened the Do Something! assignment, is a novel teaching tool that utilizes students' individual interests to encourage in-depth learning across disciplines and capitalizes on their personal skills and talents to solve real-world problems. The Do Something! assignment has been utilized in two STS courses at The Pennsylvania State University (STS 100: The Ascent of Humanity and STS 200: Critical Issues in STS). The structure of this assignment allowed students to make small but concrete contributions toward a sustainable future by applying STS principles. Outcomes indicated that (a) students had an overwhelming positive attitude toward the assignment; (b) students developed an in-depth understanding of STS issues outside of their individual fields of study; (c) students perceived a high level of attainment, which resulted in personal fulfillment; and (d) this positive perception encouraged students to attempt similar socially beneficial actions outside of the classroom.

Link to Journal Site: http://bst.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 12: THINKING PATTERNS

Focus Question: Why do these authors describe the informal curriculum as "latent aspects.? "

Yohanan Eshel and Amalia Koriat
The Informal Curriculum: The Latent Aspect of Psychological Training
School Psychology International, Nov 2001; 22: 387 - 400

Abstract: It has been argued that the nature of academic school psychological programmes and the training provided by them are revealed mainly by the informal and often more latent, messages delivered to students. These informal messages indicate the extent to which the programme treats students as partners in a complex learning process who may participate in determining its course or as those who should be informed; they may regard students as developing adults capable of responsible problem solving in the school setting or as those who still have to learn by watching others; and they determine the complementary roles of students and faculty members. We posit that these informal determinants of the training programme determine to a large extent the role definition of school psychology that guides them and is conveyed to the students.

Link to Journal Site: http://spi.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Name three practical approaches listed in this article about collaborative groupwork. What do these authors say about creativity?

Karen Farquhar
Developing a practical approach to creativity and collaborative groupwork
Improving Schools, Nov 2004; 7: 287 - 295.

Link to Journal Site: http://imp.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What are the three critical success factors for implementing problem base learning?

Tim O. Peterson
So You're Thinking of Trying Problem Based Learning?: Three Critical Success Factors for Implementation
Journal of Management Education, Oct 2004; 28: 630 - 647.

Abstract: Problem-based learning (PBL) shifts the traditional teaching paradigm. Rather than being teacher centered, PBL is student centered. Rather than presenting content first, PBL presents the problem first. Rather than presenting the students with a well-structured problem with a clear answer, PBL presents the students with an ill-structured problem with no clear solution. The research evidence, although still limited, indicates that PBL is more effective than the traditional teaching paradigm. However, to implement PBL successfully requires significant rethinking. The article examines three critical success factors essential for making PBL successful in management education. Those critical success factors are orienting students to this new instructional strategy, picking the problem, and forming the teams. The author shares his experiences using PBL and an instrument he has found useful in forming the teams.

Link to Journal Site: http://jme.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 13: MEMORIZATION

Focus Question: This article is about the use of computers and memorization. How is memory stored in a computer? Make an analogy of computer memorization with human memory techniques.

Lori Davis McLeod and Charles Lewis
Detecting Item Memorization in the CAT Environment
Applied Psychological Measurement, Jun 1999; 23: 147 - 160.

Abstract: The purpose of appropriateness/person-fit indices is to identify response patterns for which a given item response theory model is inappropriate for an examinee even though that model is appropriate for a group. This study was concerned with those cases in which examinees had prior knowledge of items from an item bank used to generate a computerized adaptive test (CAT) and used the memorized information to inflate their test scores. The objective was to evaluate procedures that could identify these individuals by examining the application of person-fit indices in the CAT environment. The l z and ECI4z indices were selected for comparison. Using information from these indices, a new method was developed. All three indices showed little power to detect the use of memorization. Some possibilities for altering a test when the model becomes inappropriate for an examinee are also discussed.

Link to Journal Site: http://apm.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What is transactive memory?

Andrea B Hollingshead
Perceptions of Expertise and Transactive Memory in Work Relationships
Group Processes Intergroup Relations, Jul 2000; 3: 257 - 267.

Abstract: People involved in close interpersonal relationships often develop a transactive memory system – a division of cognitive labor with respect to the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information from different substantive domains. The present study examined transactive memory systems using a sample of clerical office workers in a laboratory setting. It tested the general hypothesis that individual learning in work relationships is affected by perceptions of the relative expertise of coworkers. Participants were told that they would work on a task with a partner who had either similar or different work-related knowledge and job responsibilities. The findings supported the hypotheses that (a) people learn and recall more information in their own areas of expertise when their partner has different rather than similar work-related expertise; and (b) this effect reverses for recall of information outside work-related expertise. Taken together, the data showed that transactive memory is a property of work relationships, not just romantic relationships, and that role-based expertise can serve as its basis.

Link to Journal Site: http://gpi.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: How is memory improved through social interaction?

Noel Packard and Christopher Chen
From Medieval Mnemonics to a Social Construction of Memory: Thoughts on Some Early European Conceptualizations of Memory, Morality, and Consciousness
American Behavioral Scientist, Jun 2005; 48: 1297 - 1319.

Abstract: How did human memory activity, conceived of as an activity that helped bring a person closer to God, become affiliated with early sociological conceptualizations of a social construction of reality? This article explores one way of answering this question by considering some social conceptions of human memory from medieval times to modernity. In the Middle Ages, a good memory was an important characteristic of the most esteemed scholars. Rhetoric was enhanced through mnemotechniques. Memory as practiced activity complemented early theological concepts of self-consciousness, or "being"closer to God, and morality and complemented early interpretations of contract law, casuistry, and jurisprudence. These concepts changed when religious belief, educational, and legal systems changed to meet the needs of a modern, capitalistic, and secular society. Capitalism facilitated the development of memory in commodity form, and human memory was claimed from metaphysical discourse as an object of scientific study by sociologists Emile Durkheim and Maurice Halbwachs.

Link to Journal Site: http://abs.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 14: ATTAINING CONCEPTS

Focus Question: How does the environment influence young children's learning experiences?

Barbara A. Schaefer, Kimberely Fitch Shur, Maria Macri-Summers, and Scott L. MacDonald
Preschool Children's Learning Behaviors, Concept Attainment , Social Skills, and Problem Behaviors: Validity Evidence for Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale Scores
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Mar 2004; 22: 15 - 32.

Abstract: This study provides concurrent and predictive validity and test-retest reliability evidence for scores from the preschool teacher-completed Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS; McDermott, Green, Francis, & Stott, 2002) using two regional samples of preschool children aged 3 to 5.5 years (Ns of 61 and 70). Teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors were collected using the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS; Merrell, 1994), and estimates of preschoolers' basic concept attainment were obtained using the individually administered Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS; Bracken, 1984). Results indicated that preschoolers' adaptive learning behaviors were positively correlated with social skills and negatively associated with problem behaviors but were not significantly related to subsequent basic concept attainment. Four-week test-retest coefficients for the PLBS Total score and Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning subscale scores were adequate. Results support the unique contribution of PLBS scores in understanding children's responses to learning activities in preschool classroom environments.

Link to Journal Site: http://jpa.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What does this article state about the conceptual system theory of learning? Does this work for everyone? Why?

Maureen A. Frey, Christina L. Sieloff, and Diane M. Norris
King's Concept ual System and Theory of Goal Attainment : Past, Present, and Future
Nurs Sci Q, Apr 2002; 15: 107 - 112.

Abstract: Imogene King is universally recognized as a pioneer of nursing theory development. Her interacting conceptual system for nursing and her theory of goal attainment have been included in every major nursing theory text, are taught to thousands of nursing students, form the basis of nursing education programs, and are implemented in a variety of service settings.

Link to Journal Site: http://nsq.sagepub.com/

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CHAPTER 15: INQUIRY

Focus Question: What is the relationship of questioning techniques to the inquiry process?

Thomas S. Popkewitz
How the Alchemy Makes Inquiry, Evidence, and Exclusion
Journal of Teacher Education, May 2002; 53: 262 – 267

Link to Journal Site: http://jte.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: What are the potential long term effects of inquiry instruction?

Jonathan A. Supovitz, Daniel P. Mayer, and Jane B. Kahle
Promoting Inquiry -Based Instructional Practice: The Longitudinal Impact of Professional Development in the Context of Systemic Reform
Educational Policy, Jul 2000; 14: 331 – 356

Abstract: Over the past decade, national and state policy makers have wagered heavily on systemically reforming science and mathematics education through inquiry-based instructional approaches. This study examines the impact in one state of intensive science and mathematics professional development for teachers in the context of statewide systemic reform. Based on a unique longitudinal data set, the study models the impact of professional development on teachers' attitudes toward inquiry-based instruction, their capacity to adopt inquiry-based teaching strategies, and their classroom use of inquiry-based instructional practices. The findings are remarkably consistent across both subjects. Teachers' attitudes, preparation, and practices all showed strong, positive, and significant growth from preprofessional development to the following spring. Furthermore, these gains were sustained over several years following their involvement. These findings provide a promising indication that large-scale, high-quality, intensive training set within a context of standards-based systemic reform can be a powerful mechanism for sustained impact on teachers.

Link to Journal Site: http://epx.sagepub.com/


Focus Question: Name three types of questioning techniques associated with the inquiry process?

William R Torbert
The Distinctive Questions Developmental Action Inquiry Asks
Management Learning, Jun 1999; 30: 189 - 206.

Abstract: This article presents a conceptual typology of 27 different flavors of action research, underpinned by the dimensions of voice, practice, and time. This typology highlights how narrow a segment of reality is examined in most social science studies, as well as how fundamentally different the first- and second-person participatory study of the present and the future is from the third-person detached study of the past. We show that action research has multiple aims, including personal integrity and social mutuality as well as explaining empirical variance in intended outcomes. Far from diluting the positivist concern with validity, however, we argue that action research studies that include a greater proportion of the 27 types of methods are likely to account for more of the empirical variance in situations than do traditional social science studies.

Link to Journal Site: http://mlq.sagepub.com/

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